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The Bruce Peninsula

From the craggy cliffs of the Niagara Escarpment on Georgian Bay to the soft sand beaches of Lake Huron, Ontario’s Bruce Peninsula encompasses a variety of unique natural areas. In addition to ...

School Visits

What do sinkholes, flesh-eating flowers, salt, and haboobs have in common? They're all topics found in my many nonfiction books! During a school visit program, I provide a visual presentation, and...

Off Season Greek Isles

Published Spring 2000 in Transitions Abroad Looking for an inexpensive but enriching travel experience? Grab your backpack and try hopping the Greek Islands during the off-season. You'll have the...

The Green Flash

Immediately after sunset, the atmosphere continues to refract the sun’s rays from below the horizon. If the sky is clear and the horizon is flat, you may catch a glimpse of a green flash. Under...
My Travels PDF Print E-mail

Growing up in a family prone to road trips, I’ve always had a nomadic streak. It didn’t hurt to learn that my ancestry includes Lappi reindeer herders and explorer Henry Hudson, not to mention my great-grandfather the merchant mariner, who rounded both Capes and went AWOL in NYC to marry my great-grandmother. Despite loving road trips, I never dared foreign travel until my sisters drew me into it. They lived in Greece, and the time finally came that I just had to go there, so I did. On my first expedition, I spent half my time being afraid of everything and half my time loving it!

My sister Sal is the daring adventurer, and with her as companion I traveled to places I’d probably not go alone: the Greek Isles, India, and Nepal. These experiences shaped me in so many ways. I came back from Europe and Asia more eager than ever to write about travel, and plunged into full-time freelancing with a vengance. My pen eventually turned to guidebooks, but writing about the experience of travel remains one of my favorite things. As a member of the Society of American Travel Writers, I’ve had the opportunity to join my peers in explorations that my sister, now a mother, would enjoy.

On my related website, friendtravels.com, I post my previously published travel narratives. If you’re an editor and wish to use one, email me and we’ll discuss. I also have many, many travel photos available for download in my galleries.

See My Articles for articles on travel throughout Florida and the world.

Where in the world have I been?
COUNTRIES > REGIONS / CITIES
Britain > London
British Virgin Islands > Tortola, Virgin Gorda
Canada > Ontario, Quebec
Chile > Santiago, Patagonia, Valparisio
Greece > Athens, Corfu, Ioaninna, Rhodes, Santorini
India > Goa, Lucknow, Jaipur, Mumbai, Pushkar
Nepal > Kathmandu, Pokara, Terai
Saudia Arabia > Riyadh (airport)
US Virgin Islands > St. Thomas

STATES

Alabama
Arkansas
Arizona
Colorado
Connecticut
Delaware
Florida
Georgia
Illinois
Kentucky
Louisiana
Maine
Maryland
Massachusetts
Michigan
Mississippi
 
New Hampshire
New Mexico
New Jersey
New York
Nevada
Ohio
Pennsylvania
North Carolina
South Carolina
Tennessee
Utah
West Virginia
Wisconsin
Vermont
Virginia 

 

My Websites

Florida Hikes!

Florida Hikes!

Florida Hikes!


Florida Hikes! is my award-winning site on Florida hiking. Find out where to hike, how to hike, why to hike, and more! Print hike details, find maps to trailheads, join an interactive forum, read periodic magazines, watch videos, and a listen to my podcast from Florida’s trails.

Candid Travels

Candid Travels

Candid Travels

Experience travel through the eyes of a traveler: settle back and watch the world go by at Candid Travels, my collection of image galleries. Link to the Florida Hikes! images, or place an order for a print, poster, or postcard. Content providers: licensed images available.

Genuine Florida

Genuine Florida

Genuine Florida

Search beyond the interstates, the strip malls and shopping centers, the theme parks and condo clusters, and you'll find a Florida that hasn't changed in generations. You’ll find it here at Genuine Florida, drawn from research by myself and my husband, Florida native Rob Smith, Jr.

About Sinkholes!

About Sinkholes!

About Sinkholes!

Sinkholes, geological features that encompass springs, caves, ponds, lakes, unusual hills, and much more, are covered in depth at About Sinkholes!, drawing on content from my book Sinkholes.

Friend Travels

Friend Travels

Friend | Travels

In words, rather than pictures, Friend Travels presents journeys throughout the world drawn from my archives of travel articles, a decade’s worth of journeys across America and the globe.